Facade
by BeautifulMess
Summary: 6 years after OotP. While Harry's away on ministry business, Ginny and Sirius grow closer. GinnySirius. Minor HarryGinny, RonHermione, SiriusRemus
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know this is terribly overdone, but I was attacked by a plot bunny...I swear I'll try to make it good! If any chapters become FFN inappropriate I'll let you know where they're posted and post tamer versions here. This is my first Harry Potter story, so play nice please! Constructive criticism is gladly accepted as are Beta offers hint hint **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. The plot's mine. Sort of. **

"Ginny! What's wrong?" Harry spluttered as Ginny stormed from the room.

Out in the main hall of Grimmauld Place, Ginny rolled her eyes as she pulled on her cloak. "Nothing. Go on your stupid trip. And be careful, Harry," she called softly, taking care not to wake Mrs. Black's portrait. After six years of trying to take her down, Sirius had admitted defeat. And so she still hung, going a bit more insane every day. Sirius turned the corner just as Ginny was preparing to Apparate. With a quick wave and a loud crack, she was gone.

.................

Sirius padded into the kitchen and sat down across from a very confused looking Harry. "Have another one, I take it," he asked.

Harry nodded, running a hand through his hair, looking very much like his father. "I just don't get it. She says she wants to talk. And she does. Talk, I mean. But she doesn't _say_ anything." He dropped his head gracelessly onto the table and sighed. Sirius chuckled and ruffled Harry's hair. "And that, mate," he started, "is one of the many strange things about women. They _talk_ but they don't _say_ much."

Harry raised his head to look at his godfather as he continued, "Something tells me that's not the case with Ginny, though. Maybe you're just listening for the wrong thing."

..............

Everything around her was white. Walls, sheets, floors. Even her brother's usually tan skin was pale as the pillow he was lying on. Ginny closed the door behind her and glanced at the chart on the table as she dropped her cloak on the chair.

She scrunched her eyes up, praying that when she opened them it would all be a dream. A horrible, wake-in-cold-sweat-and-never-sleep-again dream, but a dream nonetheless.

But no. She peeked at the top of the clipboard and sighed. _Weasley, William A._ was still scrawled across the top next to the words _Date of Admission: 5 May 2003_.

Ginny sighed and climbed onto the bed next to him and took hold of his hand. "Fleur and little Henri stopped by with fresh flowers and new cards and posters," she relayed to him. Smiling, she glanced over the cards from Bill's 4-year-old. "Henri's been watching a lot of American TV. He keeps begging us to take him Trick-or-Treating tonight. Says he wants to be a mummy like the ones his daddy saw." Ginny chuckled quietly, remembering the summer the Weasleys had spent in Egypt, all those years ago.

She snuggled in next to him and rested her head on his chest. It was only when she did this that she knew he was really alive. The slow rise and fall of his chest and the gentle thump of his heart beat offered little solace, though.

Bill had fallen nearly 6 months ago in the final battle against Voldemort's remaining Death Eaters. He hadn't been the only one to be lost in the war or the battle. Moody, Snape, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Fred had all been physical casualties. But between losing Percy 6 years ago (he had never really come around) and Fred and very nearly Bill, Molly Weasley had gone nearly mad with grief. Arthur had had to resign from the Ministry to care for her.

Tears slipped from Ginny's eyes as she thought of her broken family. Of Fleur and Henri. Of George, who waged a daily war with the pain and emptiness that only a twin can feel. Of her mother and father and Charlie. Of Ron and Hermione struggling 'to make it work.' And of Harry and herself, failing miserably at 'making it work.' She swiped the tears from her cheek and got off the bed before pressing a kiss to Bill's forehead. "See ya tomorrow."

..............

"I'm going to find her," Harry announced. Sirius glanced up at his godson, taking in his appearance. Harry's usually vibrant green eyes were dull with fatigue, grief, and pain. They were haunted by memories that no 21-year-old should have. There were frown lines already etching themselves on his brow. He looked, in a word, awful. Sirius pushed Harry back into his seat. "No. You're in no condition to Apparate. And aren't you supposed to be on another mission? I'll go find her, you get some rest. You look horrible."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Sirius was already gone.

..........

Ginny faltered slightly when she saw Sirius leaning against the wall, one foot flat against it. It wasn't that she was surprised to see him. It was just because he had that effect on her.

And it was a little disconcerting.

..........

His breath caught in his chest when she walked into the hallway. Her eyes were rimmed in red, her hair was disheveled and she was clad in tattered -around-the-house clothes, but she was beautiful.

_And 22 years your junior_, reminded his conscious, which sounded annoyingly like Remus.


	2. Chapter 2

This had become common. Whenever Ginny and Harry fought, she would come visit with Bill. Sirius would almost always be waiting for her in the hallway, leaning on the wall, hands in his pockets, hair in his eyes.

Ginny tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and headed for the stairs, smiling when Sirius fell into step with her. As they walked down the corridor, people glance at them before lowering their heard or scuttling away, terrified. Sirius had been officially pardoned years ago, when it became obvious, even to a dolt like Fudge, that Sirius was not only fighting in the war _against_ Voldemort, but that he was a great asset as well. The story of he pardon had been on the back page of The Daily Prophet, squished between an ad for Quality Quidditch Supplies' New Tail Twig Clipper and a blurb about an American witch who lost a finger to a biting glove, so it was no surprise that most of the Wizarding world was still scared witless by the man.

Ginny and Sirius found the huge sign that read _Official Apparation Point for St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries (New, Improved, and Better than Before [We hope.])_. Ginny look over her shoulder toward the ward where Bill was and sighed. Sirius dropped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her reassuringly. "He'll be alright, Gin."

Ginny stuck her lower lip out in a pout and murmured, "How?" before Apparating back to Grimmauld Place.

..........

There was a note Spell-o-Taped to the cloak stand saying that Harry had gone and would get in touch as soon as he could. Ginny chucked her cloak on top of the note and headed for the drawing room, knowing Sirius would follow her after hearing him Apparate in the hall.

Sirius mulled over Ginny's question as they got situated on the couch before answering her. "I'm not sure how. But I know that you and Bill are cut from the same cloth. Strong, determined, passionate." He looked at her through the fringe of bangs in his eyes and smiled softly. "You're fighters, you and Bill. He isn't going to leave his family without a fight, even if Merlin himself was calling him into the Ether. Just like you wouldn't leave Harry," he added.

Ginny swallowed loudly and averted her eyes. "Yeah," she muttered. "Just like me and Harry."

Sirius placed a hand over hers, which were nervously braiding the tassels on a pillow before asking, "What's wrong, love?"

Ginny shrugged and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes. "Harry doesn't get it. I'm distant, he says. Preoccupied," she began. "He doesn't understand. He's so busy being the bloody martyr that he's blind to other peoples' loss.

"I know he lost his parents. So have I, in a way. And one brother, forever. Three more might as well have died..." Her voice was a near whisper as she finished. "I lost part of me, too. My innocence, my adolescence. It was stripped from me. He gave his willingly, playing the hero, running off to save the world. To save me." Ginny was crying now, fighting to maintain a little composure, to keep the sobs at bay. "I wish...I wish he had left me in the Chamber."

Ginny raised her brown eyes to Sirius' grey before laughing quietly and wiping at her tears. "You must think me the biggest bitch for talking about him that way."

Sirius didn't answer her. He was stunned into silence. He knew she hurt, but he wasn't expect this. The hopelessness in her voice nearly brought tears to his eyes. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, gathering his wits about him. "Not at all." He kissed the top of her head softly. "I'm so sorry, Ginny. So sorry."

Ginny sniffed and pulled away from him. "Why? You didn't do anything."

Sirius nodded slowly and looked into her eyes. "No, no I didn't. But," he said, cupping her cheek with his hand, "I couldn't prevent it I couldn't help you."

"It's not your job to protect me, Sirius," she whispered.

"But I want to. I want to help you, Ginny, please." He swallowed roughly and glanced away quickly. Ginny, too, glanced away, before climbing onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, Sirius pulled back slightly, startled. "G-Ginny...What..." he stammered. She looked up at Sirius, her eyes filled with tears, her voice with pain. "Can you just hold me, Sirius? Please?"

He nodded, at a loss for words, and wrapped his arms around her.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been two days since Harry left and Ginny and Sirius still hadn't heard from him. This wasn't altogether unusual, especially considering the sort of mission he was on, but they were worried all the same. Harry was working with a select group of Aurors, including Ron, canvassing the East European country side for remaining Death Eaters. No one, least of all the Aurors themselves, had any idea where they would be at any given time, let alone have access to a Floo grate or an owl. The sporadic nature of the mission kept not only the Aurors on their toes, but their families as well.

..........

Hermione, who was married, had temporarily moved back into Grimmauld Place, saying she couldn't bear to be in the flat she shared with Ron alone. She just didn't have the energy to keep house and worry about him constantly.

Even though she had only been there a few days, Hermione knew something had changed. She felt it when she walked through the front door. The mood of the house had, at the same time, lightened and intensified. The animosity that had hung in the air dissipated some and was replaced with something that Hermione couldn't quite put her finger on. It was like the house was holding it breath in anticipation.

..........

Ginny, Hermione, and Sirius were in the kitchen sharing what was for them, a gourmet dinner. As the cardboard take-out containers were passed around, the trio chatted and joked, Ginny and Sirius poking fun (lovingly, of course) at Hermione. Hermione was watching the other two with amusement as they chucked assorted bits of Chinese takeout at each other when it hit her. The flirting, the longer-than-necessary egg roll passes, the bickering. "Omigosh!"

Sirius and Ginny looked up from their mini-food fight at her outburst, bewildered. "What?" they asked together.

"There's something going on with you two," Hermione exclaimed, gesturing wildly at them.

"Us? No!"

Hermione crossed her arms and smirked, an eyebrow raised.

"You're delusional," Sirius accused.

"You've gone 'round the twist, Hermione," Ginny said, her face flushed a brilliant scarlet.

There was an awkward silence before Hermione shook her head in mock seriousness and sighed. "You've both given better performances. I'm disappointed."

Ginny dropped her head on the table, emitting a muffled, "Oww," while Sirius ran a had over his face nervously.

"So, uh..." he trailed off, not knowing quite what to say.

"How obvious is it?" Hermione offered, smirking at Sirius' nod. "On a scale of 1 to 10, about a 4." She loaded her fork with MooGooChickenStuff, giggling.

"Brilliant. Bloody. Fucking. Brilliant." Ginny emphasized each word with a bang of her head on the table. Sirius stuck his hand under her head after the second word, softening the blows a little. When she was done, he pushed away from the table, getting ready to escape. "I'm, ah, gonna let you two chat?" he offered lamely, before hurrying out of the room.


End file.
